Chapter 64 The Cold-Hearted Mandarin Ducks (Part Two) "How did you gradually become..."
It was the chilly season of early spring, and a sudden drizzle fell at the end of the month, making it feel as if winter had returned overnight. The palace was eerily cold, and in the slightly gloomy sky, raindrops fell one by one on the mandarin duck tiles on the eaves, a sound that chilled the heart.
The atmosphere inside Wan'an Palace was somber.
Imperial Noble Consort Li knelt on the ground, her magnificent clothes symbolizing her status now removed. She was past her prime, and her weeping carried a sense of sorrow and desolation. Her frail and lonely figure was all the more pitiful.
Many people were kneeling in the hall, including palace servants and several concubines and mistresses. Lady Li was pale, feeling both wronged and humiliated. But she couldn't care less about anything else. At this point, she could abandon dignity, composure, and favor, hoping only to retain her position as empress.
The emperor at the head of the table had a somber expression as he looked at the extremely humble Li Shi without uttering a word.
"Your Majesty, I truly did not mean it! The gold bead on that hairpin has always been sturdy; I wear it every day and it has never fallen off! I really don't know why the little princess was able to take it off and put it in her mouth. I never intended to harm the little princess, much less that she would choke on the gold bead and suffocate to death! Your Majesty, please understand, I was completely unaware of this matter. It must have been a craftsman's laziness and mistake that caused this disaster, or perhaps someone deliberately framed me!"
She turned around abruptly and looked coldly at Consort Ning.
At first, she spoke softly, but by the end, her eyes were red, her tone became increasingly agitated, and she gritted her teeth in hatred.
Li's face turned pale, and she angrily questioned, "What do you mean! This is malicious speculation and slander against me!"
"Enough! What kind of behavior is this, roaring like that!"
The emperor slammed his fist on the table and shouted to stop him.
Consort Ning trembled all over, closed her eyes, and silently shed tears.
She suppressed her emotions and gritted her teeth as she continued, "The Palace Attendants have irrefutable evidence regarding the deaths of Consort He and the Seventh Princess, and both are inextricably linked to the Imperial Noble Consort. I know Your Majesty cherishes the Imperial Noble Consort and is willing to believe that she acted unintentionally. However, this involves two lives, and I hope Your Majesty will handle this matter impartially, so as not to chill the hearts of everyone and to comfort their souls in heaven."
When the spring rain finally stopped, the pale sunlight slowly appeared, and the fate of Imperial Noble Consort Li was settled: she was demoted to commoner status and confined to Qianxi.
Before her departure, Lady Li tearfully begged the emperor to let her see Prince Xin one last time. Prince Xin also knelt in the Qianqing Palace for several hours, knowing he couldn't plead for her life, but he begged to be able to reunite with his mother and say goodbye.
The changes within just a few days were so drastic that they caught Prince Xin's faction completely off guard, leaving them no chance to regroup or make plans. Li Shih-huai acted decisively, setting aside his now-useless sister and extricating the entire Li family from the matter, striving to minimize any impact on them.
The emperor was depressed all day long and didn't want to concern himself with state affairs. He left unimportant matters to Lan Huaien in private.
He was extremely upset and revoked Prince Xin's post in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Looking at his fourth son, whose face was full of sorrow, he sighed.
"Your mother has become far too complacent. I asked around the harem, and even many palace servants said that she treats her servants harshly and has become increasingly eccentric. I had heard some rumors before, but I never paid them any mind. I thought that she and I had a long-standing relationship, and that she was dignified and elegant. Even with her eye ailment, I was willing to grant her this favor. But I never expected her to be so hypocritical, deceiving me for so many years!"
Prince Xin was stunned. He said in a panic, "My mother has always been deeply favored by my father. Now that she has suddenly been punished for a crime, the women in the harem will scatter like monkeys when a tree falls from its tree. It's inevitable that some will try to kick her while she's down. Besides, my mother's heart towards my father is as clear as day..."
The Emperor said coldly, "I've said more than just that. The most important thing is that Fifth Brother died at the age of three, and she is inextricably linked to it. Back then, I didn't favor her as much as I do now, which shows that your mother was already harboring evil intentions. I've spared her face; if all her evil deeds were made public, it wouldn't be as simple as just being sent to the Cold Palace. Li'er, I'm afraid you won't be able to escape unscathed either."
The Emperor compensated Consort Lin by promoting her to the rank of Consort Zhuang and would visit her from time to time. Unfortunately, Consort Zhuang had no interest in serving the Emperor and was unable to extricate herself from the grief of losing her daughter.
Consort Zhuang looked truly haggard and pitiful. Yet, she stubbornly refused to listen to advice and insisted on attending the little princess's funeral. After crying for several days, her body was weak and frail, and she looked emaciated.
The emperor instructed Consort Ning to take good care of her, then turned and left Yongning Palace.
As night fell, the deep darkness enveloped the palace, and few palace servants were seen on the long street. The eunuchs accompanying the emperor lit lanterns, and Lan Huaien was about to invite the emperor to get into the sedan chair when he saw the emperor standing silently in place, gazing at the end of the palace road.
Following the emperor's gaze, she saw two figures. Lan Huaien immediately recognized one of them as the crown prince. As the two drew closer, Lan Huaien was surprised to find herself so distraught, her whole being listless and dejected, as if she had suffered some unexpected blow.
After Emperor Yan Chaochao finished his salutations, he lowered his head and remained silent.
The emperor's expression was indeed displeased. He frowned and said, "In the middle of the night, if you want to visit Consort Ning, go inside. What are you doing loitering around here so suspiciously?"
"Your Majesty, I returned from my seventh sister's funeral and saw her one last time. She died of suffocation, and her face was still covered in bruises when she was buried. She was only six months old; she was truly pitiful." She seemed somewhat dazed, and her reply was irrelevant.
The emperor paused, then was moved: "Yes. I have held her many times; she is a lovely child."
"Then Father, do you still remember Fourth Sister?" Yan Chao glanced at Lan Huai'en and saw her winking, but still couldn't help but whisper, "She was also your daughter, my own sister. She died before she even had a chance to open her eyes in this world. The way she looked when she died was so similar to Seventh Sister."
The emperor was most averse to anyone mentioning this matter, and his expression immediately changed, a hint of malice creeping into his eyes: "Crown Prince, what did you say?"
Lan Huaien was immediately alarmed. She thought that perhaps seeing the Seventh Princess had brought up those old memories again. In the past, she could always restrain herself and at least maintain her composure. Why was she suddenly so reckless today?
Yan Chao's voice trembled slightly: "And there's that younger sister that Mother couldn't give birth to before she passed away. They were all Father's daughters, and they all died young. Do you still remember them?"
The night breeze was cool, as if carrying the fresh scent of sprouting grass and trees. The cold dew silently climbed up the red walls and green tiles. Time flowed in the long palace corridor. Under the lamplight, everything was dim and unclear. Those old stories, layer by layer, were revealed to be full of blood and tears.
Yan Chao heard the wind sighing, and she finally knelt down: "Your subject was heartbroken and lost control, please forgive me, Father Emperor."
The emperor remained silent, and everyone else stood in solemn silence.
"Of course I think of them," the emperor said in a flat tone, as if he was unwilling to mention it but had to give her a response. "I have been very busy lately. Since you are concerned about them, please copy more Buddhist scriptures for them and send them to them. Do your part for me."
Yan Chao should have been respectfully escorting the emperor to his sedan chair and away.
Liang Lu stepped forward to support her, but seeing her pale face, he swallowed back all the words of comfort he had prepared. He knew all too well the emperor's coldness; he cared for all his concubines and children, except for Empress Wenhui and the Crown Prince.
Just before meeting the emperor, Yan Chao was still thinking about whether his mother's husband was outside the palace worrying that the baby girl would ruin the country's fate when she gave birth to two sons, exhausted and helpless as her daughter was murdered, and in despair she still had to struggle to save the surviving child.
When his mother suffered a miscarriage and died, he was worshipping Buddha at a temple in the suburbs of Beijing. Did he shed tears in front of the Buddha for his unborn child?
What happened afterward?
Did the emperor ever feel even the slightest bit of remorse?
She believed that people's hearts were not made of wood or stone, and that they could not be without feelings. The emperor and his children were also connected by blood, and perhaps he had also felt compassion. The former Crown Prince Zhaohuai and Yan Ping, and the current Prince Xin and Princess Yongjia, all held a place in his heart; they were all children he had placed high hopes on and cherished in his hands.
She kept wondering whether the Emperor's attitude towards her was due to her status as the Crown Prince, or because her birth mother was Empress Wenhui, who had been associated with ominous signs.
The doubts and resentment buried deep in my heart eventually faded away day by day. Occasionally, when I thought about it, I would tell myself that one must always look forward, and there is no difference between enduring or not caring.
Yan Fei asked her, "Why is it that only Sixth Uncle addresses the Emperor as 'Father' to his face, but 'Your Majesty' behind his back?"
The crown prince uttered two words: "Rules".
"What are the rules?"
She remained silent.
That's probably her rule.
The emperor knew this, but never reprimanded her for it.
Sitting inside the sedan chair, Yan Chao's thoughts became completely clear.
She found it somewhat laughable and was too lazy to worry about the emperor's attitude earlier. Silently lifting the sedan curtain, she looked up and saw what seemed to be one or two stars on the horizon, their light barely visible as they were hidden behind clouds.
On the seventh day after the death of the Seventh Princess, Consort Zhuang, overwhelmed with grief, finally exhausted all her strength and breath, and passed away on a quiet spring night, joining her child in death.
On her deathbed, she experienced a brief moment of lucidity. Consort Ning stayed by her side, and as they recalled the days they had supported each other in the palace, she was overcome with grief.
"...The year I entered the capital, it rained heavily. In order to avoid being selected, I secretly soaked myself, thinking that the rouge would help me go home. But in the end, I fell seriously ill and ended up in the palace, where I could not see the end of the line."
I didn't even know the year my mother died.
"Sister, please beg His Majesty to send me home. I don't want to be buried alone in the imperial concubine's mausoleum..."
But how could the emperor allow that? They had no personal relationship, so why would he ask the officials to say anything more about her? In the end, he only gave her a grand funeral and instructed people to take good care of the Lin family.
By mid-February, Consort Zhuang's funeral had been completed.
The inner palace returned to peace, but Consort Ning seemed to be heartbroken and despondent. She lived alone in the vast Yongning Palace, sitting quietly in the hall all day, embroidering patterns one after another, and then throwing them all into the cabinet after she finished.
Yan Chao went to see Consort Ning several times when he had free time, but the palace servants only said that Consort Ning was unwell and refused to see her.
She sensed that Consort Ning seemed to have some kind of dissatisfaction with her, but she couldn't quite figure it out. She asked the imperial physician, who only said that Consort Ning was not seriously ill.
“Consort Ning and Consort Zhuang have always been on good terms. It is likely that Consort Ning is overwhelmed with grief and has nothing to do with Your Highness,” Liang Lu advised her. She then suggested, “I heard Xiao Jiu mention the other day that Consort Xu has been quite lonely in Zhaojian Palace for a long time. In my opinion, why not let Consort Xu go and talk to the Consort? Even if she doesn’t seek comfort, it would be fine just to relieve her boredom.”
During the time when Yan Chao left the palace and went south, I heard that Consort Ning took good care of Lady Xu, so she must like her.
Yan Chao thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright."
He turned back and asked, "Was the Seventh Princess's matter truly an accident?"
"Maybe it really is just a coincidence, and I'm overthinking it."
The emperor read through the memorials one by one, his face gradually darkening. Finally, he lost his temper and swept the memorials to the ground, slamming his hand on the table and shouting, "I am busy with countless affairs of state, is it so difficult for me to keep a son who is pleasing to my heart! None of these are allowed! I have decided to keep Prince Xin in the capital!"
Lan Huaien silently picked up the memorial and was about to carry it out when he heard the emperor say again, "From now on, there's no need to bring these kinds of memorials to me! Just approve them yourself."
"Yes." Lan Huaien's voice was lower.
When the imperial decree was sent out, everyone had different thoughts. Yan Chao wasn't surprised, but she was puzzled: given the current situation, why was the emperor keeping Prince Xin alive? Was it because he liked him and had other expectations, or did he still have pity for Lady Li?
Some of the officials from the Crown Prince's palace also participated in this remonstrance, and many of them were reprimanded as a result.
Yan Chao raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but chuckle: "What do you mean by 'eager'? Is His Majesty satisfied if the officials of the Eastern Palace don't utter a word?"
Shen Wei was speechless. The first to submit a memorial was an imperial censor, and later the Crown Prince's side also offered their advice. If the Crown Prince deliberately instructed that they avoid it, that would only make the Emperor more suspicious.
He realized his own timidity and narrow-mindedness, and couldn't help but feel ashamed. But he was truly afraid that Yan Chao would make a wrong move.
Zhou Shaoyun was presenting the document when he heard this and said, "Your Highness, please forgive my impertinence. In my opinion, this matter is not a cause for concern. Although we are officials of the Eastern Palace serving the Crown Prince, we are also officials of the Great Qi and ministers of the Emperor. We have the responsibility to share the Emperor's burdens. Since many officials of the Eastern Palace also hold positions in the court, if they remain aloof, His Majesty will suspect that Your Highness is trying to win over the court officials."
These words were perfectly watertight. Yan Chao put down his pen, glanced at him, and said gently, "Zicheng is right." Zhou Shaoyun bowed slightly, took his leave, and left.
Feeling ashamed, Shen Wei couldn't help but glance at Zhou Shaoyun a few more times. After suppressing the strange emotions in his heart, he said to Yan Chao, "Last year, when Your Highness went south for several months, Zhou Yude accompanied you and assisted you. His vision and knowledge are ten times better than mine. He can think of everything for Your Highness. He is indeed a useful talent."
Yan Chao glanced at the documents in front of her, picked up her pen again, dipped it in ink, and stood with a dignified and solemn posture. She didn't immediately respond to Shen Wei's words, but after a while, she suddenly said, "Yes, Zhou Shaoyun is an extremely steady person. You don't need to blame yourself. I know you are thinking of me wholeheartedly. He has his merits, and you naturally have yours too."
His lowered eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and he said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Your Highness," but a faint bitterness rose in his heart. He understood that his envy and apprehension towards Zhou Shaoyun were not because of his outstanding talent.
The sky was pale. On the eaves of the palace, a gray-feathered bird stood side by side with a chiwen (a mythical bird-like creature), and after a short while, it let out a clear cry and flew away. A cluster of gray-glazed clouds gathered on the horizon, as if they were about to wring out rain at any moment.
When Yan Chao entered Yongning Palace, all the palace servants had already left.
Consort Ning sat at her desk, meticulously examining a hairpin adorned with only two or three kingfisher begonia flowers, one in full bloom and the other still in bud, each flower's stamen decorated with pearls—simple yet exquisite.
The only flaw was that one of the uniquely shaped beaded flowers was a bit loose. Consort Ning examined it carefully to see how to repair it, but unexpectedly, she made a mistake and the entire flower fell off completely.
Yan Chao spoke up to comfort her, "Your Majesty, I think that losing one flower will not affect the beauty. You will still be elegant and charming when Your Majesty wears it."
Consort Ning silently put down the hairpin and said softly, "Yes. It doesn't matter if one is missing."
Silence fell upon the hall once again.
"If Your Highness likes it, you can take it to the Silverworks and have a craftsman repair it. It shouldn't be difficult to restore such an item to its original condition."
"If it's broken, it's broken. Even if you repair it, it's never the same as it was before."
Yan Chao remained silent. She sensed Consort Ning's unusual emotions, but for a moment she didn't know how to comfort her. Others should have said the same things countless times.
So she changed the subject: "I heard that Consort Xu came yesterday. How did she get along with Your Majesty?"
Consort Ning smiled indifferently: "The people you ordered are naturally good."
Yan Chao was surprised by her cold and distant attitude. After a moment of silence, he simply asked directly, "Is there any other reason why Your Majesty is willing to see me today?"
Finally, the rustling of wind came from outside the window, mixed with the hurried footsteps of palace servants. From their anxious voices, it could be roughly understood that it was going to rain, and the flowerpots that had not yet sprouted or bloomed needed to be moved indoors. Consort Ning put down her flower hairpin, stood up without a word, and went to close the window.
She spoke, but refused to turn to face Yan Chao: "What do you plan to do with the Xu family?"
“She was innocently dragged into this. Your son will not make things difficult for her and will find an opportunity to release her in the future.”
"Aren't you suspicious at all about the people who came from Zhaoyang Palace?" Before Yan Chao could answer, Consort Ning continued, "Since you forbid her from associating with people from Zhaoyang Palace, it means you're wary. Can you let her leave without worry? Or are you going to keep her locked up until you no longer need her before letting her go?"
Yan Chao frowned unconsciously: "Your Majesty..."
Consort Ning turned her head slightly, half of her face dark and cold: "You want to kill anyone who threatens your position, and use anyone who has nothing to do with you, is that right?"
Yan Chao looked up and met her gaze.
This question could no longer be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." She sensed that Consort Ning was currently quite emotional, so she had no choice but to agree.
“Your Majesty, I do bear responsibility for what happened to Madam Xu. But I promise I will not harm her. If you have a better plan, I will do my best to accommodate it.”
Consort Ning sneered: "You are the Crown Prince, how dare I make decisions for you? Besides, after your trip to the south, the Crown Prince's methods have indeed become more sophisticated and ruthless. He knows how to use others to do his dirty work, sending even the illustrious Imperial Noble Consort to the Cold Palace in one fell swoop. And who's next? I should be next too!"
These few words were like a thunderclap, and Yan Chao was instantly shocked. After recovering, he first thought: at which step did the news leak out?
Before she could explain herself, Consort Ning's attitude terrified her. She knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, before my mother passed away, she entrusted Yanchao to you. Over the years, you have been kind to Yanchao and raised him. I have never forgotten my mother and would never dare to betray your kindness. Your words have truly frightened me."
Upon hearing her mention Empress Wenhui, Consort Ning couldn't help but turn her head away, secretly shedding tears. After a long while, she choked out, "When Her Majesty the Empress passed away, you were already old enough to remember things and had your own opinions on many matters. I didn't need to worry about you much. However, I dared not fail Her Majesty's trust, so I took special care of you. I never expected anything in return."
"I have no favor, no children, and no one to rely on in the harem. Although we are not related by blood, we have been thinking of each other all these years and have come this far. It has not been easy along the way. There are many things you are willing to tell me, and I know your sincerity towards me; if you don't tell me, I understand your concerns. But Chao'er, lately I have realized that I really can't see through you at all."
"Since you've resorted to any means to orchestrate the downfall of the Li family, why bother asking an innocent young girl to pity me?"
By the end, Consort Ning was barely suppressing her sharp tone, but her eyes were clearly red, and if she hadn't been secretly clenching her fist in her sleeve, she probably would have been trembling uncontrollably.
Yan Chao was still somewhat confused. In her opinion, Consort Ning should be able to understand why she took action against Li Shi; what grieved her was perhaps the unexpected incident involving Consort Zhuang.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.
Yan Chao said, "I heard that Your Majesty has been depressed all day long because of the death of Consort Zhuang and her daughter, so I thought of having Xu Shi come and keep you company. I have no other intentions."
"Isn't that right? You just tacitly agreed." Consort Ning sneered repeatedly, almost like a madwoman. Her eyes were not only filled with disappointment and coldness, but also with a deep-seated hatred.
Outside, the wind and rain pattered, and the dripping water from the eaves sounded like broken strings of pearls. The dampness seeped into the hall, and while I didn't feel particularly cold, my heart felt even cooler.
Yan Chao finally understood. She raised her head slightly and explained, "The deaths of Consort Zhuang and the Seventh Princess were also unexpected for me. Although this matter was indeed in my favor, I never did it, nor did I ever intend to do so. I know that you and Consort Zhuang have a deep friendship, and the Seventh Princess is young and innocent. No matter how much I scheme, I would never plot against them!"
"If you can be so heartless to even your wet nurse, Ying, let alone those who have nothing to do with you!"
"Whether you keep her or not is entirely up to you. You, the dignified Crown Prince, can't even protect a mere palace maid? She's the wet nurse who raised you, she's been with you longer than your own mother!"
“It’s not that I can’t protect her. Yingniang was just sent out of the palace, she’s still alive.”
Seeing that Consort Ning remained silent but her expression did not change, Yan Chao continued to ask, "Your Majesty, I only know that the Seventh Princess's matter was an accident. I wonder if Your Majesty has discovered something suspicious?"
Consort Ning stiffened slightly, then slowly turned around to open the makeup box on the shelf, took out a gold bead the size of a soybean, and handed it to Yan Chao.
"This is the gold bead stuck in the Seventh Princess's throat. You've seen that hairpin too; it's a butterfly-shaped gold hairpin inlaid with rubies and sapphires. The hairpin originally had tassels, but Lady Li removed them because she was afraid the little princess would pull on them and it would be dangerous. The only thing left on the hairpin was the long tendrils, which were originally inlaid with pearls. Later, the Imperial Noble Consort found that pearls were inconvenient to maintain, so she replaced them with gold beads. The pearls were fixed with holes, but the gold beads were just inlaid. In addition, the workmanship was not sturdy, so the little princess suffocated after swallowing it."
“The palace servants around Lady Li confessed that this hair ornament was taken for repair in mid-October last year. The inlay craftsmen in the silver workshop have not yet been tortured, but have admitted that there may have been a mistake, but have not confessed whether anyone was instigating it.”
Yan Chao frowned: "This does not prove that it was your son who instigated it."
Consort Ning ignored her and continued, "Last year, Lady Xu in your palace fell seriously ill. I felt sorry for her being all alone, so I went to the East Palace to take care of her for a few days. One day, I happened to see the palace maids in your front hall tidying up their things, and a butterfly-shaped gold hairpin fell out. I didn't look at it closely, but I was very impressed by the gold beads inlaid at the tips of the antennae. Thinking about it the other day, it's extremely similar to the one Lady Li had! Is the gold wire and gold beads just a coincidence?"
It's such a coincidence!
Yan Chao pondered for a moment. The Crown Prince's Palace did indeed possess some hairpins and jewelry, mostly belonging to her mother, though she couldn't quite recall their exact styles. But those things were generally not easily touched; how could Consort Ning have suddenly seen them?
She herself was unaware of the details, let alone able to defend or explain them. Yan Chao simply shook his head: "Please allow me to go back and investigate carefully, Your Majesty. If it is indeed someone who deliberately framed you, I will certainly give Consort Zhuang and Seventh Sister justice."
"Justice? They're already dead!"
Consort Ning slumped into a chair, her expression vacant, staring blankly at the begonia hairpin, tears streaming down her face.
“I can’t stop you from going your own way; I’ll just watch coldly as you fight with Prince Xin and try to infiltrate the harem to scheme against Lady Li. Yan Chao, I’m just heartbroken. How did you become like this? You frighten me.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she sadly glanced at Yan Chao, who was kneeling upright: "Your Highness, please rise. I dare not accept your grand gesture; I will assume you are kneeling before Empress Wenhui."
Yan Chao was shocked by her cold words and felt a mix of emotions.
She didn't know whether she had done something wrong or was truly being misunderstood. In that instant, something inside her felt like the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed, with sharp, scattered fragments piercing her flesh.
"Your Majesty, we do not yet know the cause and effect, yet you use these words to damage the bond between mother and son based solely on suspicion?"
Consort Ning closed her eyes, her voice tinged with bitterness: "You don't need to worry. Whatever you've done, I won't tell anyone. I will not betray Her Majesty the Empress."
Yan Chao sighed helplessly, "I know that Your Majesty will not believe anything I say now. Please wait for me to find out the truth. But Your Majesty, she has passed away. I hope you will take good care of yourself and not harm your health."
.
Stepping out of Yongning Palace, Yan Chao was still in a daze. She walked a few steps numbly, then suddenly turned around and saw the palace gates slowly closing, just like Consort Ning's closed heart. She knew that no matter whether the matter was investigated or not, this invisible door could never completely disappear.
Perhaps this is the price she has to pay.
The fine rain was crisp and clear, each drop a captivating sound. Her thoughts gradually returned, and she glanced down to see that her sleeves were stained with raindrops of varying shades.
Yan Chao shook his head, said "It's alright", then reached for the umbrella and waved to him.
"You may all go back first. I will walk around by myself and do not need anyone to follow me."
Seeing that she didn't look well, Liang Lu couldn't help but worry: "Your Highness..."
"What could possibly happen in the palace?" she said with a slight smile, and ordered casually, "Go back first and have Duan Shou investigate something."
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